Tag: NASA
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James Webb passes critical mission review for 2021 launch, final testing nearing completion
The joint NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has passed its critical final mission analysis review — clearing the way for a late 2021 launch from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana on an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket. With this review completed, Arianespace and JWST teams can now begin final launch preparations. With…
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Stennis, SLS core stage teams reflect on Green Run campaign
The first Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage is now being readied for the program’s first launch at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), but the large rocket’s first stop on the way to liftoff was the once-in-a-generation Green Run verification campaign. The vehicle spent over a year in the B-2 position of the B Test…
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Artemis 1 SLS stacking work running long, preps for integrated tests continue in parallel
Final securing of the Space Launch System (SLS) Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter (LVSA) to the Core Stage for Artemis 1 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida was slowed down by issues discovered when workers started bolting the two elements together. NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and prime…
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ESA/NASA complete ISS spacewalk to install first new solar array
Two astronauts went outside the International Space Station (ISS) to complete installation of the first of six new Boeing-built solar arrays — part of a program to increase the station’s electrical power generation capacity as its science and research demands increase and future expansion plans continue. The Extravehicular Activity (EVA) – officially known as US…
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NASA SLS core/booster mate sets the stage for Artemis 1 pre-launch checkout
The integrated operations team of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and prime launch processing contractor Jacobs completed mating the SLS Core Stage for Artemis 1 with its boosters on June 13, another in a series of firsts that will culminate in the debut flight of NASA’s new launch vehicle, currently projected for no earlier than…
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Titan impact craters reveal connections to planetary weather, set the stage for Dragonfly
Titan, the atmosphere-shrouded moon of Saturn, has captivated scientists’ attention since its formal discovery on 25 March 1655. While in-situ observations of the moon ended in September 2017 when the Cassini spacecraft was purposely plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere at the end of its mission, data from the 13 year scientific voyage continues to reveal information…
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EGS starts Artemis 1 SLS Core Stage lift
After a month of thermal protection system foam repairs and other preparations, workers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and prime test operations and support contractor Jacobs at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida started lift operations on the Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage for Artemis 1 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on…
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Mars Ascent Vehicle from Northrop Grumman takes shape for Mars Sample Return mission
Since Mariner 9 entered orbit around Mars on November 14, 1971, NASA has been continuously studying the Red Planet. The Viking landers reached the surface of Mars five years later and began sampling the soil. Since then, numerous landers and rovers with instruments from institutions across Earth have studied and traveled the red terrain in…
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SpaceX provides a ride to the space station for ‘kidney on a chip’ and new solar arrays
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off, carrying supplies and science experiments into space. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX launched a Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station today with more than 7,300 pounds of supplies and science, including an experiment from the University of Washington that takes advantage of zero gravity to study how our…
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NASA evaluating schedule, launch date forecasts for Artemis 2
NASA is currently forecasting that Artemis 2 will be ready to launch no earlier than (NET) September 2023, but similar to attempting to forecast when Artemis 1 will be ready to launch, there is also uncertainty in when Artemis 2 might fly. The second joint test flight of NASA’s Orion and Space Launch System (SLS)…